Ch. 5 The Proposition.
"Now, I will assure you, Pharaoh," Keichi said, "with the utmost respect, that my offer is merely an offer. I do not wish to force any decision upon you in any way, nor make you do anything you do not want to."
They had moved to the guest room, and Keichi was sitting across from Yugi at the small table, Grandpa Mutou sitting comfortably between. It was approaching dark at this hour, but none of them had noticed the time.
What could be such that I would not want to do it? The Pharaoh wondered. It did not make the light any more favorable for Keichi, but the Pharaoh chose not to express this.
"I will, however, impress upon you how much this decision means to me," Keichi continued. "This is, I will say, my life's work, and I do not mean any offense when I say this, but after hearing about you, it was impossible for me not to come speak with you. I would very much like you to participate. That said, even I will withdraw my entire proposal should you not wish to take part."
"You have not even said what your proposal is," the Pharaoh pointed out.
"Pharaoh! Don't be rude, let the man finish," Grandpa chided him smartly.
The Pharaoh blushed. "Forgive me."
Keichi seemed horrified. "Solomon! I'm sorry, but do you normally talk to the king of Egypt this way?"
"King or no king, I treat him as my grandson. And as my grandson, I expect him to remember his manners," Grandpa said sternly.
"It's perfectly all right, Keichi-san," the Pharaoh said when Keichi seemed to continue to protest. The warm blush still tinged his cheeks. "Grandpa's right, I shouldn't have been so rude. Please, continue."
Keichi still seemed unwilling to treat the Pharaoh so casually, but he did not dwell further on it. "Very well. I will get straight to the point then." He leaned forward and met the Pharaoh's gaze directly. Keichi's expression was as serious as it could get, and the gravity of his words fell deep into the Pharaoh's core. "Pharaoh, my life's work has been based around one single theory; that of the containment of souls in certain selected objects. Not just containment, but transportation of souls as well. And I believe I have accomplished the means of doing so."
The silence that followed was stunning.
Instantly all of the Pharaoh's instincts began to rage, demanding that he make Grandpa usher this stranger and his insane offer out the door and never speak of him again. Warnings began to sound off in his mind; This was simply too much. The Pharaoh did not bother trying to hide his shock. Even Grandpa Mutou was greatly impressed, and a little suspicious, with the idea.
After those words, the Pharaoh needed no explanation. It was entirely obvious what Keichi wanted to do with him. And with what had happened to him before, with a proposal coming from a face like his, there was no chance that the Pharaoh could agree.
But…
We mustn't jump to conclusions, Other me, Yugi whispered. His image sat beside the Pharaoh, eyes locked on Keichi.
Jump to conclusions?! The Pharaoh turned his attention to his partner, incredulous. What more obvious conclusion can there be? You can tell what he wants!
We agreed to hear him out. There might be more to this. His partner's voice through their link was shaky, as if he were half-trying to convince himself. He didn't break his gaze.
Yugi, you can't be serious. The Pharaoh stared at Yugi, eyebrows contracted. After what happened, how can you even consider this? This is just like when Dartz—
Dartz is DEAD! Yugi hissed, suddenly whipping around to look at the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh recoiled, stunned. When the Leviathan was defeated, all traces of the Orichalcos went with it, including the part controlling Dartz. When that went, he passed on. There's nothing left of them-
Yugi broke off, gasping, eyes wide. His image faded slightly, and he dropped to his knees. Wearily, he put a hand to his head, covering his eyes. He stayed that way for the longest while, refusing to meet the Pharaoh's gaze.
Aibou…The Pharaoh's own spirit reached out to him, concerned. He had never seen his partner act this way before. Yugi suddenly seemed deflated, smaller than before, and more childlike.
A barrier suddenly stopped the Pharaoh from reaching him. Now alarmed, the Pharaoh pressed against it, trying to break through; Yugi was keeping him back. Aibou, what…?
Just give him a chance, please, Other me, Yugi murmured. His voice was so quiet, the Pharaoh barely caught it. Then he disappeared.
Yugi, wait! The Pharaoh pleaded through their link, but Yugi had sunk into the depths of the Puzzle and did not seem to want to come out again.
Where did that come from? The Pharaoh sat back with a sigh, and opened his eyes.
He blinked in surprise. He couldn't recall having closed them. My talk with Yugi must have been more intense than I thought, he reasoned. His grip tightened.
He could not understand why Yugi had left him to deal with this alone, not when, out of the two of them, the Pharaoh trusted Keichi less. The Pharaoh bit the inside of his lip in thought, then looked up.
He had nearly forgotten about his grandfather and Keichi. If this were any other situation, the Pharaoh would have laughed from their expressions; both were silent, eyes trained on him, looking as if they were expecting him to explode.
He cleared his throat, making sure he could talk steadily. "I'm sorry. Yugi and I were simply discussing the, er, idea of your study."
Keichi and Grandpa both relaxed from their trance, a little relieved. "Indeed, that did appear to be what was going on…" Keichi breathed, running a hand through his hair. "Fascinating, fascinating…"
The Pharaoh tried not to bristle at that. Keichi could not, after all, escape his nature as a scientist…The Pharaoh shifted to a more comfortable position. He tried to keep his voice even and polite as he spoke, but it was impossible to keep out a measure of distrust in his words. "I understand now what you wish to do. Am I correct in thinking you intend to remove my soul and place it in another…body?"
Keichi winced slightly at the Pharaoh's tone. He sat back and clasped his hands together, frowning. He seemed to be trying his hardest to choose the least offending words to explain. "I know how it must sound. Obviously you have become quite attached to sharing a vessel with another soul, so you would feel reluctant to be separate—."
"Yugi is not simply a 'vessel', Professor," the Pharaoh said coolly. He didn't bother trying to be polite this time. "He is my closest and dearest friend, so I will ask for a little more respect when speaking about him that way."
"Pharaoh!" Grandpa chided again. He turned, embarrassed, to Keichi. "Forgive my grandson, Keichi, but you must understand. Not too long ago there was an…incident…involving the souls of both Yugi and the Pharaoh. A rather formidable enemy tried to capture their souls for his own purposes, and…well, it's a sensitive subject for the both of them. Needless to say, it was not an experience either of them would ever want to repeat."
That's the understatement of the year. The Pharaoh tried to keep himself relaxed.
Keichi sat completely still, a mixture of guilt and empathy etched upon his face. "I see. That sounds like quite an ordeal to have been made to go through. I'm deeply sorry for all you have suffered."
The Pharaoh dipped his head in thanks. The apology, at least, had seemed genuine…
"Of course it will be completely understandable if you refuse, no questions needed." Keichi straightened his spectacles. "But, I will say again, this is my life's work. I would be insulting it and myself if I did not stand for it. What you went through was unforgivable, there's no doubt about that. But my proposition holds no desire to separate either of you from anything. In fact, quite the opposite."
The Pharaoh was struck with a strange sense of familiarity at Keichi's words. The man really loved his work that much...It was a bit before he realized he was recognizing the same passion in his work as the Pharaoh's own in dueling.
The Pharaoh cursed silently. A huge emotional war was raging within him, the conflict of his own distrust beginning to be swayed by his partner's words and this realization. His instincts told him the entire situation should have been resolved with Keichi's dismissal long ago, and he had survived many ordeals due to these instincts.
But these were the same instincts that, upon his initial awakening, had told him Yugi's tormentors were better off thrown into their own personal hell. Instinct had hardened his heart in vengeance.
Instinct could only take him so far.
Give him a chance.
The Pharaoh sighed heavily. "I had agreed that I would hear you out, and I will," he said at last. Keichi opened his mouth, looking hopeful, but the Pharaoh raised a hand before he could say anything. "I am going to say this, however; Yugi is willing to give you a chance. He seems to trust you. I, on the other hand, do not. Unfortunately, I cannot forget so easily what happened to us last year, and the last thing I wish for is for it to be repeated. But for Yugi's sake, and that of his grandfather, I will listen to what you have to say."
Keichi didn't answer right away. He appeared impressed by the Pharaoh's speech, and soon gave a deep bow. "I understand completely, Pharaoh, and I thank you. You don't know what this chance means to me."
The Pharaoh inclined his head in acknowledgement. "You mentioned earlier that you believe you have accomplished the means of transporting souls," he said. "Can you explain how?"
"As best I can," Keichi sighed. "I won't confuse you with all the scientific details, so I'll try to be general. Briefly speaking, I have created a machine which I believe will extract the soul from the ves…from a body it's contained in and transfer it into another one, all without damaging the soul or its previous body.
"Now, of course, we would rather not risk just picking any random object to be the secondary body, not for something as powerful and fragile as a living soul. Each soul is unique, like a fingerprint, and in order to survive properly it must be contained in something that matches it best. Your soul, for example, Pharaoh, was contained for three thousand years in the Puzzle, despite the fact that the soul survives better in a living, animate body than a stationary object. It must have been sealed due largely to some force unknown to me, but at the same time you were the guardian of the item, and it was of a great deal of importance to you. Therefore your soul could accept being contained within such an object for a great deal of time.
"But, when you were awoken, you were introduced to someone who is almost exactly like you were in your previous life. In fact, one could almost say that Yugi is your reincarnation. Therefore your soul was easily able to transfer from the Puzzle to Yugi and function like it did when you were last alive."
The Pharaoh flinched at that. This man's insight was far too close for comfort…
Keichi appeared not to have noticed, and went on. "From this, I believe the soul would function best in a body it is most familiar with. This, then, is perhaps the second hardest thing I have to ask of you. We have been working on certain animals so far, and we believe the safest body for transfer is the exact clone of the original body."
If the first realization was a shocker, this dawning left the Pharaoh utterly speechless. Cloning…he means of me?
Keichi leaned forward once again, and spoke with utter sincerity. "Pharaoh, with your permission, I would have a sample of your DNA, create a cloned body of Yugi, and transfer your soul to live in that new body for a period of time."
The Pharaoh broke his gaze from Keichi, and scanned the table before him, unfocused and lost in his thoughts. His mind somehow refused to comprehend what Keichi had just said. Perhaps he did not want to think it was possible. Certainly he did not know human cloning was already feasible.
"You wish…to grow me a body…and allow me to live separately from Yugi?" the Pharaoh asked dumbly.
"You will only cease having to share a body," Keichi said hastily. "By no means is this a ruse to tear the two of you apart. True, you will both inhabit your very own body, but I'm sure you can still remain together in such a way that—."
"Do you mean to say that you'll be giving me two grandsons to look after?" Grandpa blurted out. He had gone slightly pale at Keichi's offer, but managed a smile to lighten the mood. "One is trouble enough!"
The Pharaoh's mouth had gone very dry, and his first attempt to speak came out as a cracked croak. He coughed, and wet his lips. He had to know. "Keichi, I must ask…Why did you create this device?"
"I beg your pardon?" Keichi swung his attention from Yugi's chuckling Grandpa and peered blankly at the Pharaoh.
"That is to say…What made you want to create such a machine that would transfer souls? What do you hope to accomplish with it?"
Almost like a generic tall tale, Keichi's expression relaxed and faded to one of distant memories. A tinge of sadness came into his eyes, and he gave a small smile before answering. "Well, as with any scientific career—not to mention invention—like mine, my machine has a highly personal back-story to its creation. Considering what I am asking you, however, I think it would be only fair to inform you."
Here we go, the Pharaoh inwardly groaned. Though ihe had asked, it would probably not be enjoyable to sit through an entire life story.
"My grandparents were superstitious people. Very superstitious. Not a single day went by when I didn't see them casting some charm or another, or putting up talismans left and right. They prayed at every shrine they saw, and told me again and again stories of gods, mythical creatures and spirits. I listened to them with rapt fascination, and though I soon learned the false nature of most of their superstitions, their stories have never left me.
"My grandfather died when I was fourteen. I remember my grandmother prayed for his spirit's peace every day, and put up countless talismans and symbols so that my grandfather's spirit wouldn't wander aimlessly around the earth. It was then that I asked so childishly a question, but one that has fueled my research to this very day. I found it ridiculous that once people died, their souls had to be left to the mercies of the outside world without the protection of a body. When my grandmother explained the reason for her talismans, I asked her, why not find grandpa another body? He had always taught me how the spirit was separate from the body, and that it was contained within the living flesh until the body died. Grandpa could find another living body, one that was stronger and younger, so that it wouldn't die so easily like his first one. Then he wouldn't have to wander, and he could stay with my grandmother for many more years.
"Of course my grandmother treated the idea as merely a child's ramblings, though she expressed to herself and to me that it wasn't such a far-fetched suggestion. But now, with what I have researched and developed, I no longer have to treat the idea as simply a day-dreaming fantasy. If I could find a way to safely contain the soul until a suitable vessel is found for transfer, then no one need to lose their loved ones so soon." His eyes intent once again, Keichi emphasized every word in his earnestness. "There are many who, once a loved one dies, have so much unsaid to the departed. It's a cruel, cruel punishment to lose someone when you are not ready to lose them, or when they are not ready to go. I believe I have found the solution to a pain that has plagued mankind since the dawn of time."
Disclaimer: Now listen closely. Every sentence I say after this one is a lie. I do own Yugioh.
A/N: Now this is actually the truth, peoples. So far I've been posting one chapter a day. I don't think I'll be able to keep up that record, because of two things: One, I am a student. I do have school. And it is a fact that Spring Break is ending. Two, the story isn't completely written out. I hope you all can be patient, though, because this does not mean the story is being discontinued. You all have been fantastic so far, so thanks for staying with me, reading, and reviewing, and please stay with me!